CM Punk

[6.0] "CM Punk is THE definition of a wrestler, one you think of who works bingo halls, throws some weirdly ineffective punches, and despite that makes you believe he's trying to be a brawler gunning for the top of the world. That's evident in his history in the indies and in multiple promotions, where you can see the weight of his work evolve over time. However, as a modern watcher to wrestling, that means I was introduced to a modern incarnation of him, with highlights being his MJF feud in AEW and his Drew McIntyre feud in WWE. Unfortunately, that's where his work begins to degrade tremendously, and I've never been able to reconcile it with his presented reputation. Feud to feud, CM Punk is highly believable in throwing his weight behind disliking his opponents, with every promo sounding natural and passionate; but his stories never evolve past just being personal feuds, and his character has arguably had zero development, pivots, or any new high points for years now. The other side of the coin is him continuously being alluded to anti-establishment and, like his namesake, a punk- a play that falls flat on it's face in modern WWE. I do not want to be reminded he did the pipebomb. I do not care for feuds that are partially done on social media. I especially do not care for his promos that blend reality and kayfabe when nothing interesting happens from it. His in-ring is very classic, and that's a huge positive; he works spots and isn't afraid to get messy in the ring, making his matches very easy to follow along without any particular negative. That said, there isn't anything technical he does particularly well; as such, his in-ring is always painfully average. What is the end result? It is unfortunately, a talent that relies tremendously on being watered down in modern WWE style while maintaining a reputation of being unexpected, edgy, and dynamic gained during a whole different WWE. You'll get told he's the best in the world, by fans and the promotion, again and again and again, and every single time you wonder what time period that world was stuck in."

[4.0] "Full disclosure, I've only seen his stuff since his return, and have no recollection of what he was like in his prime. But what I see in the ring I never got this guy, pretty much every match he makes feel slow and his presence is unathletic and like he's got two left feet. I understand he's nearly 50, but given the role that he's been given as the guy, he brings down the presentation of the matches which really makes me struggle to stay engaged. On the mic he is repetitive and seems to go back to the well with the same stuff all the time. I just don't get what others see in him."

[9.0] "I don't think any wrestler in 2026, or any for the last two decades for that matter, has had as much of a presence about them as CM Punk. Whether you love him or hate him, he's always must see. When he's on top from, he's practically untouchable on the microphone, and at almost fifty he's still having excellent professional wrestling matches and memorable angles. Punk has developed a reputation of not taking disrespect and poor management lightly, which has historically led to some controversies across multiple promotions. Although, now three years in to his WWE return, he shows no sign of slowing down and no signs of exasperation with his surroundings. Without question, he's one of the biggest names in wrestling today."

[2.0] "He can wrestle well, that's about the only thing good I can say about Fragile Phil, he was awful to the talents of AEW, is becoming Hulk Hogan in WWE, and was even toxic in Ring of Honor, he hated on WWE when he was in AEW, AEW was the place to be and WWE was for the evil and rude executives, until it wasn't, then WWE was the place to be and AEW sucked, and was the place for unsafe working. He's a crybaby and also a suck up, and way too high on himself, he's a fake tough guy too, we saw your UFC run, he's great on the mic as well but it's kind of ironic he's turning into the wrestler he used to hate. He's toxic but he's a big enough name to make your company popular."

[2.0] "He was always clumsy in the ring but decent on the mic. The problem is that even his best promos he's whining and complaining about his station in life in wrestling. Then he got older and now he's not only clumsier, he's out of breath after 10 minutes and his promos are a strange mix of white meat babyface from the 70's with more whining and none of it makes sense. It's been that way since his first match back in 2021. His entire kayfabe and shoot persona is self congratulatory. He's exactly like Roddy Piper except Piper didn't pretend he was a great guy. Punk is so hypersensitive he lets every comment he doesn't approve of ruin his universe and then he makes it everyone else's problem. He's maybe the least deserving big star that is constantly forgiven for his poor behavior and get showered in adulation. Phil Brooks the person is exactly the same as CM Punk. No conflating, no misinterpreting, that's what I can see and hear myself."

[10.0] "From his early days under ace steel to IWA, his epic trilogy vs samoa joe and the summer of punk(2005), to finally going to WWE and proving that a indie star can be a success at a global level, Punk has done it all.His return in aew was iconic with a great crowd response, and he is still going strong in his second WWE run.Truly an all time great."

[0.0] "Overrated and overpushed. Why does he still have a job? People keep forgetting he tried to destroy this industry. Everywhere he goes people have issues and somehow the problem is never him? His fanboys are so blind and keep pushing for him no matter what he does, its disgusting. Some wrestlers out there working 4 matches per weeks dedicating their whole lives to defending this industry gets 1 in rating while punk gets 10s when he tried to bring everything crashing down. Hope he retires soon because I don't want to see him damage this industry anymore. Thus man discouraged so many wrestlers to stop wrestling, made so many fans stop watching, talked bad about the companies on live television and even hijacked press conferences and somehow people view him as some type of hero. He calls himself the vouce of the voiceless but right now he's parading as the voice of tko, carrying arround the champion and not giving a single flying f about what they are doing to the company as long as it benefits him. He has all of these idiots fooled you guys need to open your eyes."

[10.0] "Such a polarizing figure he'll work people into conflating his on screen persona with Phil Brooks the person. This is because his number 1 quality is immersion. He does an amazing job at making you believe he believes. He's on the Six Grandfather's of all time promos. He's never been the most athletic but he's one of the best ever with in-ring storytelling. He sells well and takes you on a journey every single time. He gives casual fans something to cheer or boo about while also sprinkling in Easter eggs for hardcore fans (both in his matches and in his promos). However, he doesn't fall into the trap of so many guys in making the Easter egg THE focal point. In the modern era I cant think of anyone who does a better job at making things matter. A million workers will use a ton of weapons to try to be memorable, but Punk will hyper focus on like 1 or 2, which makes something actually memorable (the toolbox and bracelet in Hell In A Cell, for example). Does a great job at creating aura. He's basically what Raven could have been without the drugs. 10/10 talent."

"Best post-attitude era pro wrestler period. By Pro Wrestler, I am talking about the complete package and not made-up terms like "work rate." Any argument otherwise is solely based on some sort of brand and or individial wrestler loyalty and nonsense haterism. No one, and I mean no one, has ever had their name chanted after leaving wrestling for a longer or stronger period of time. Hands down the best talker post-attitude era, and as far as his work in the ring, he works like a main eventer, always has, and doesn't need to do flippy flop nonsense. He sells tickets, merch, and draws numbers, and that, at the end of the day, is what pro wrestling is truly about."

[6.0] "Probably one of the most polarising wrestlers ever. One of the best ever on the mic and his 'better than you' gimmick is iconic. He was always average in the ring, very non-athletic but he was able to circumvent that by his character. I loved him in ROH and the indies (the invisible mic video to this day cracks me up) and he went to WWE and had a good career, probably better than most people could've predicted. But again, from a match POV there was nothing really to write home about aside from the famous MITB match which is helped carried by the story behind it. He effectively retires and returns, having a similar stint in AEW. Great promos and stories with the likes of Eddie Kingston and MJF but the matches themselves are underwhelming. Then the fallout. Then the WWE return where the highlight is the Drew feud and HIAC. Unfortunately somewhere in amongst this Phil lost who he was and what he stood for. Apologising in Saudi Arabia, clearly on the juice despite still claiming to be straight edge, toxic backstage stories constantly... I think he's just shown himself out to be a massive hypocrite. I think having to eat shit, swallow his pride and return to WWE with his tail between his legs destroyed who he was as a person."

[4.0] "One of the most narcissistic, hypocritical wrestlers of all time. He never follows his own supposed values and ethics, whether it's going to Saudi Arabia, or being an old timer that hogs the spotlight from others. So long as it's beneficial to him, his criticisms on those matters no longer apply. Have you ever noticed how Punk guy quite literally never puts over any up and comer? When's the last time he even lost a match completely clean to someone that hasn't already been world champion by that point? I actually asked ChatGPT how many times he lost clean in general since he became a permanent main event wrestler in 2011. Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Kane, Jon Moxley, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns. Only the latter two being within the last few years. All of those guys are former world champions."

[6.0] "I think that in his prime CM Punk was the best professional wrestler in North America. However that was on his prime and he's not in his prime anymore. Is he still capable of having good matches, absolutely he proved that at WrestleMania 42, but he's had a lot of shitty matches since his 2023 return. Including his match against Jey USO at SNME and his match against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2026. I'm also taking away some points because he's a hypocrite and a shitty person with in real life. Because yes I take away points when rating somebody if they're a pos. His promos aren't even good anymore and he's relies on mocking people's dead fathers. He's also been out of shape since his return to professional wrestling."

[10.0] "CM Punk is a very diverse character, you either love him or you hate him. Despite whatever people feel about him, I don't know how you couldn't rate him anything other than a 10. The guy has just done it all, and done it all really well in his own way. I understand the issues people have him with effectively taking a lot of Japanese wrestlers moves, but in this day and age everyone does it... Punk was just doing it before it was "cool". Best wrestler on the mic since The Rock/Austin. Is able to be a great babyface and a great heel, and has put on countless classic matches throughout his entire career. From ROH to WWE, AEW, and back to WWE, he has proven that he's just capable of being "the guy" and making people care about him. He had slowed down a fair bit after his break, and his AEW run had a lot of ups and downs... and his initial WWE return was very up in the air, in my opinion, simply because of his age and the fact he was still pretty slow and got injured. But he has turned that around massively and has proven that he's still one of the very best wrestlers in the world."

[10.0] "the best 47 year old wrestler in the world, what a run punker has been having ever since his return. already had a hall of fame career only to cement himself as not just one of the greatest of all time but belonging in that top 5 conversation."

[10.0] "I'm gonna keep it short and sweet with Punker. I fell in love with him/his style of wrestling when I was just a wee lad. Ever since I laid eyes on him, I saw alot of myself in him and I also found one of my most favorite wrestlers ever. I'm not gonna sit here and be a total fanboy though. I will say his last few years have been giving me the feelings of a disappointment mother when your child does something you've told them not to do since they were young. But I digress, CM Punk has been a tremendous talent, draw and pioneer for modern wrestling. Without some of his promo works, we really wouldn't have this blurred line between reality and wrestling like we do today. He truly is a generational superstar. (Not actor or fighter though)"

[9.0] "You can argue he is the most complete and well rounded wrestler of all time. His iconic promos and matches are evidence. Also he is my favorite wrestler of all time."

[10.0] "CM Punk is a very good wrestler and ever since the pipebomb he did in 2011 he was over as heck and had a long title run. Today he stills wrestles, i believe that he's the greatest of wrestlers"

[10.0] "CM Punk has always been an exceptional performer, but what really blows me away about him is that he's gotten so much better and so much more believable with age. His wrestling is outstanding since returning to the sport and it all started with his AEW run and return to wrestling which was the perfect statement of him being a working champion. Punk goes back to WWE, and he does the same thing. Working with outstanding, older plus younger talent and making them look amazing. CM Punk is one of a kind in the ring and like Freddie Mercury there will never be another performer like him."

[10.0] "CM Punk is one of the greatest of all time on the mic and the best storyteller in WWE today. He delivered some amazing matches in ROH, then became the most popular wrestler that WWE had in 10 years. He then proceeded to leave WWE and become what many saw as a martyr-like figure. Now back from in his second wrestling stint in AEW and WWE, he has positioned himself as an all-time talent."

[9.0] "He's probably the best at mic work don't get me wrong, and his performance before was good, but I think people shrug off a little bit too much how much of a hypocrite this guy is. If we exclude that, he has great feuds, but his actual in-rIng performance has declined."

[10.0] "He means that shit when he says he is the best in the world, he brings the best out of everyone while at the same time always having quality feuds"

[7.0] "Punk was once the stuff of legends, with an iron-clad, bulletproof resumé. Since coming back, it has been hit or miss and for me, in ways that may be legacy-defining. For a while he remained the gruff, angry Punk of old. Someone with a chip on their shoulder. The little guy who knew the big guy was out to get him, and was ravaged by that paranoia, pushed by a paychotic drive to be the best as a means of pure survival. Punk is not, and has not been that man in some time. He feels clean, professional, nearly unburdened, and his rise to the top of the food chain this year has felt hollow. Storylines are not benefiting him but I am not sure his demeanor will ever recover and become interesting again. CM Punk was a legend who paved the way for indie guys to become mega superstars by strength of character alone. He was, for years, the best promo in the world. A top-five match guy, whose legacy against Samoa Joe speaks for itself. One of the best ever, but this recent run, despite the mega-high of the MJF feud, has otherwise been largely disappointing for me as one of his biggest fans."

[10.0] "One of the greatest story teller and microphone off al time. Even at this age, he continues to deliver fantastic performances."

[8.0] "Punk, Oh Punk. Genuinely, Cult of Personality is the most appt word. To be specific, CM Punk is the most core figure to me being such a fan of wrestling I am. Rey Mysterio was the first wrestling figure I thought was cool looking and made me appreciate the work wrestlers do, but CM Punk was the "I get it" moment. For reference I got into wrestling proper in 2020 after some passing wrestling consumption like Super Eyepatch Wolf videos and watching Rey vs Eddie from HH 97, as YouTube is one to do, I got recommended some wrestling stuff, one such video was of the Pipebomb. I'm sure bringing up the pipebomb to certain fan's at this point could result in an eye roll and I do very much understand why, but god damn, as a depressed, scared and crucially angry teenager, especially in the situation I was in, the catharsis I felt hearing that speech, Cannot be understated. Did it fester the chip on my shoulder? Perhaps, did it help me find that inner fire and motivation to push on, absolutely. After that, Punk became one of my most intense hyperfixations ever. Got that WWE DVD, watched that Documentary so many times, watched the top tier matches on that DVD so many times, the documentary sent me down the rabbit hole of watching his work in ROH and IWA-MS. Watching the Joe / Punk trilogy was my third eye opening. Not only did I now suddenly look up to CM Punk, but now i was starting to fall in love with the art of wrestling itself. But at that point, for a bit, I was mostly only still a fan of punk specifically, less of wrestling as a whole yet. Then you could imagine how fucking crazy and exciting it was for ol' teenage me, where the next year after going down the Punk rabbit hole and wrestling as a whole alongside, that he would return to wrestling and join AEW. All of a sudden, I was now watching wrestling on a regular basis, while Punk was of course my primary focus and reason for tuning in, I started falling in love with wrestlers other than CM Punk like Danielson, Hangman, Eddie Kingston, The Bucks etc (Ironic I know) and the Lucha Bro's. And of course MJF, the Punk / MJF rivalry was genuine one of the most bright moments of my teen years. During a really not good time in my life, that feud was the piece of media that got me through the weeks, so enthralled by the storytelling, the deepening of Max's character and all the callbacks to Punk's past felt SO rewarding after my hyperfixation sent me down the rabbit hole, the callbacks to the classic ROH promos and parallels to his past self was so satisfying and special, wrestling is truly special. Now, those times obviously didn't last. I don't want to go into any more exhaustive details of the years to come but now as a fan of wrestling in 2026, I can say that I love wrestling as an art form without CM Punk being not even near my top 10 favourite wrestlers anymore. Of course all the drama in AEW combined with the, being completely honest, hypocritical and disappointing backtrack of so much of the spirit that made me a fan those years back. It is tough, the return promo in WWE told me everything. But as I said in the beginning, genuine, honest to god Cult of Personality. Even now after my tastes of wrestling has become more my own and prefer, when Punk is good, I am immediately back, I am immediately invested and just get drawn into the magic. After the indulgent history / therapy session, time to wax poetic about the work. Punk's most obvious great feature is his work on the mic, now, since returning to wrestling Punk's mic work has had a bit of a decrease, he can be really rambly and unfocused and when he tries to be a more generic babyface (when it really doesn't fit) Like his collision run and modern WWE face work he comes off inauthentic, which is in sharp contrast to what is his best attribute on the mic which is feeling authentic. At his best he feels like a genuine guy, all his quips, barbs and rage just sound like a real ass man and It is so easy to fall int his words from that, especially in the 2010's WWE with the likes of Cena, Rock, Triple H, with all due respect, are smoked, It's not close, the sheer quickness of the wit and authentic delivery completely blows out the highly scripted and more 'am-dram' style of promo, It makes the likes of them sound so lame and especially to the likes of Cena and Triple H, who often trample over people and are only able to do so thanks to their position, it is really cathartic. Wither it is the sharp tongued anti-authority rebel, or even his 'Straight Edge' work, he is phenomenal, to narrow on his early work he is so, so good as that angry, bitter young man, mad at the world, pissed off at the wrestlers and fans that enable the pissing down the toilet of HIS future potential for, Pills, Boos, he is born of their poison society and has become a monster to fight the monsters of the world! His work in the modern day perhaps is touch and go but when he is good, GOD, FUCK, like said, all of a sudden, I'm back in, even if he isn't as good in the ring anymore, FUCK, he goes and has the Mania 42 main and I am on the edge of my seat. Which brings me to what I consider his best attribute, His storytelling ability. IMO CM Punk is the greatest storyteller of the American Wrestling style and has the best catalogue of Feuds in North America / maybe wrestling Period. A master of the American wrestling storytelling style of show to show, ramping up of the feud, lots of his feuds are similar but fuck its a good formula and often is career best work for some like Raven, Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy etc, or coming out party's for others like MJF and Jimmy Rave. Not to mention the original summer of Punk and his generation defining In-Ring rivalry with Joe and Cena. Punk just gets wrestling structure to his core, wither its a match or a large story. Sadly, his more recent work and actions have left me deflated and distant still. I can never be a super fan again but sometimes, he reminds me why I once was."

[10.0] "To Quote Himself he's the best on that microphone, In that Ring even At Commentatory no body can't touch Him...so 10/10 Wrestler everything a promotion needs he has it in him(In Ring, Promo, Charisma, Box office) and So on he is one of the Greatest Wrestler living alive"

[4.0] "Always more of a storyteller than a "pure" in-ring performer, CM Punk is the epitome of what happens when your hype train is successful enough. He's terrific on the microphone and excels at telling a story during the match. The athletic part? He was exceptional in the early portion of his career, waning down as injuries and mistreatment from WWE destroyed him both mentally and physically. That was supposedly never the point with him thought. What mattered was that he was cool, that he was a leftist, an atheist, a straight-edge man in a world full of wrestlers and booker who were Republicans drugged out of their minds; Philip Brooks seemed like a man who could lead change and shut down the system to replace it with a new one, one that was amicable to independent performers, to the workers, to the women who were abused in it. It became evident very soon that the only thing Capitalist Moneymaker 'Punk' wanted was to be part of said system though. And when he got the opportunity to be part of it, boy oh boy did he grab that brass ring with all of his might or what? Watch the WWE Unreal documentary part where he bows and hugs Triple Grok like he's the Messiah he's been looking for all of his life. There's nothing more 'punk' than selling out in your 40s, isn't it Phil? I hope your father is very proud of you."

"I think that CM Punk is an amazing performer who's in-ring work is overshadowed by his promo work. He has many amazing matches but some seem to forget some of them and only remember the stories. His whole career is about stories. The story of the Pipebomb, the story of Jack Perry, the story of him and Drew McIntyre. And these stories build up matches which most of the time, turn out to be great."

[8.0] "Never thought that CM Punk was all he was cracked up to be once the bell rung, but as a character and a promo he's outstanding. Sometimes all you need to be an effective entertainer is to just be a naturally interesting and confident person."

[9.0] "One of the greatest on the mic of all time, made a Boston sub-culture named 'Straight Edge' way bigger than probably anyone else in the world, and always striked me as a -huge- outsider in a company like WWE given how extremely 'different' he was to other main eventers. He never really let go of that independent wrestling-vibe, and probably paved the way for Bryan Danielson, Kevin Steen, and others who followed his path into mainstream wrestling. Only reason I wouldn't rate him on par with "full package" wrestlers like Ric Flair, is because of the lack of innovative in-ring work: He made KENTA's finisher famous in the US, and used Triple H's finisher for the majority of his indy career. He also never wrestled in Japan, a huge missed opportunity, given how versatile he is. So ultimately, I see a tiny gap there between him and "the greatest" in-ring workers."

[10.0] "After many years in the ring, he still displays a high level of performance. His recent run as World Heavyweight Champion is, for me, one of the best in the current WWE era. The nickname "Best in the World" truly lives up to his name. He truly is the best there ever was, is, or ever will be."

[10.0] "My favorite wrestler of all time. Love his promo game, his in ring performance, the move set, everything. I don't even know how to eleborate further. One of the GOATS"

[9.0] "I always liked him but was never one of my favourites 7/10 from me, Accomplishments - 9.5, Charisma/Character Work - 9.5, Cultural Significance - 9.5, In-Ring Skills - 8.5, Longevity - 10 & Move-Set - 8 = 8.8 rounded up to 9."

[10.0] "I don't think there will ever be a wrestler with as interesting a story as CM Punk. I got into wrestling in 2012 when Punk was in the midst of the best world title reign of the PG era. Going back to his matches with Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio gave me such a deep appreciation for him as a wrestler without even the knowledge of his background before WWE. Of course I wasn't around for the pipebomb but came to understand its importance and perfection. Through all the bad booking, terrible business decisions, and downright disgusting treatment, Punk never let the bullshit overtake him. It was the right call to leave in 2014 and the right time to come back in 2021. His time in AEW is representative of Punk's veteran knowledge, generosity, and passion for wrestling. And also his insane capacity for making wrestling news headlines. His return to WWE was the right decision at the time and has proven to be the best career move he could have taken. Two WrestleMania main events is fucking Cody levels of validation. If a wrestler was rated on their ability to get over, no doubt CM Punk would be number 1."

[7.0] "CM Punk connection with the fans is the only reason he has this high rating. His first run was memorable by everyone watching wrestling but he was always good but not great inside the ring. His mic skills are good but he's no where near guys like Jericho Miz etc."

[10.0] "Not the guy who made me fall in love with wrestling, but it certainly was the one that made me care about it so much. Not much more I can say that haven't been said from Punk already, great wrestler, easily my favorite wrestler in the mic as he can do a promo for any situation. The pipe-bomb left a mark on me and made me a CM Punk mark, and seeing him returning to wrestling was a dream come true. His great career just shows how important this guys is for wrestling, and I will always be a fan. I gotta add, as of 2025, it hurts a little to know that maybe Punk was never the voice of the voiceless in WWE. Seeing some snippets from Unreal and just the things he got himself into, that veil certainly is off, and maybe my younger self is sad about this, but still my favorite of all time."

[7.0] "I think he good but big hypocrite. I just can't get with nothing or anything he say. He just comes off fake unless he wrestling. Something about him doesn't seem right. He just comes off as kiss ass and his interviews are god awful. Trying to listen to him you would see what I'm saying."

[9.0] "Before I begin, I have to get this out of the way in the interest of full disclose. I despise Phil Brooks. I see him as wrestling's Aaron Rodgers, a sure fire Hall of Famer and one of the best of his generation, but also a total douchebag. First of all he is a complete fraud. He wants you to believe he is this super progressive, revolutionary hero of the masses and great human being. In reality is a rich, self centered asshole who resents anyone that doesn't worship the ground he walks on. It's not a coincidence that he is the common denominator in so much backstage drama and even violent blowups everywhere he goes. Almost everyone that has ever been friends with Phil has come to dislike him. Because someone with an ego as massive as Phil is incapable of treating others with respect and not just using them for their own purposes. What he did to Jack Perry shows his true character. Jack is a really good hearted young guy and Punk terrorized him because he wasn't getting his proper "respect". Yeah, suffice to say I hate the guy. But that out of the way, even I can't deny, like scumbags Rodgers and Favre, that he is one of the best talents of his generation. I give him immense credit for taking an average build, average athleticism and an average look and taking it to the highest levels of wrestling. As a promo guy, there are almost no equals to Punk. As a wrestler, he leverages immense understanding of pacing and psychology to put on some of the best matches in North American wrestling history. Whether it be his rivalry with Samoa Joe in ROH, or his work with John Cena in WWE, he has engineered some of the most memorable rivalries in wrestling through creativity and hard work. I give Punk immense credit for climbing the ladder of WWE during a time when the politics of being a small "indie guy" were usually a death knell. Punk is a testament to the phrase "Hard Work beats Talent when Talent doesn't Work Hard". Because of that, I wish I could give CM Punk a 10, because he almost deserves it. But instead I have to give him a 9. His run in AEW was such a disgraceful showing for Phil the human being, that it creates a black mark on his legacy that can't be erased. It showed the man for the selfish, small and egotistical asshole he really is. What should have been a glorious second chapter of his career instead resulted in a run that most AEW fans choose to forget and pretend never happened. Punk treated everyone in AEW, and AEW itself, as if they were beneath his greatness. He wanted to build the entire promotion solely around him, and build himself into the most powerful politician in the locker room. When the other wrestlers rightfully told him to go fuck himself, he pouted off to WWE where he has been pampered and coddled the way he always believed he should be. And it's for that reason, although not that reason alone as there are plenty of other isolated incidents of Phil Brooks scumbaggery, that he will never be the best North American wrestler of his generation. That honor will always belong to The American Dragon Bryan Danielson, someone who rose to the top under similar conditions to Punk, but someone who's left behind nothing but a legacy of greatness in and out of the ring. Punk is without a doubt on the Mount Rushmore of 2000-2010s American Wrestling, but it's his immensely flawed character that keeps conscientious wrestling fans from fully embracing him as the living legend that he should be."

"My favorite match of CM Punk of all time. Cena and Punk showed the best they coud in this match, even better than their ppv matches, top in ring performance, top storytelling, but sadly wrong winner, i wanted CM Punk to be in a main event of Wrestlemania he deserved"

[7.0] "At least top 5 of all time on the microphone. And one of the best storytellers of all time from his presentation to his in-ring work bell to bell he is one of the best he has classics with likes of greats like The Rock, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Jeff Hardy, etc.. the man is no stranger to a classic match.he was a key figure in the PG Era along with John Cena, and Randy Orton. He's a legitimate draw in pro wrestling at a similar level of Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho.. all at that A tier draws but always just below that S tier like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Roman Reigns from a number standpoint.. Punk was always a consistent merchandise seller he even outsold John Cena in 2011 summer of punk for somewhat short 38 days straight but typically fell short back in the day of PPV buys and ticket sales to the S tier guys. Always a relabel number 2 or number 3 in pro wrestling... his contributions to the business is quite good. On top of all of his work in the ring and on the microphone."

[10.0] "What a legend. One of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. On the mic and in the ring, the stories he can tell and the emotions that he can convey are a rarity and something that is nowadays rare to find. Self-made from the core, grew up from a working-class blue collar family and made a name for himself despite everybody being against him in the cut-throat indies and as well as the largest professional wrestling company in the world, WWE. His connection with the wrestling fanbase, although volatile, is absolutely INCREDIBLE. There'll just never be another CM Punk. As iconic as he is polarizing, he is an irreplaceable figure, a modern behemoth. His second coming in WWE is probably the most successful of its kind along with that of Shawn Michaels. He deserves all the flowers, and I'm obviously biased because he is one of my favorites, if not THE favorite."

[10.0] "You could argue CM Punk as the greatest pro-wrestler of all time and I would not disagree. From his early days in Ring of Honor his microphone work and foundation in ring work was incredible. Standout matches that I encourage you all to watch against Samoa Joe, Raven, AJ Styles, Austin Aries, Jimmy Rave, and many many more proved his spot among the very best wrestlers in the world at that time. Then he came to WWE, a company that he was not meant to be a star in, worked his way up to arguably cut one of the most important and historic promos in pro-wrestling history. He continued to put on classic matches against the likes of John Cena, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, etc. Then when he made his exit from pro-wrestling for over seven years the fans never forgot him. Rampant chants, social media outcry, and everything in between. A pro-wrestler with such a profound impact on the industry that when he returned at 42 years of age in AEW it was one of the loudest reactions in pro-wrestling history before having another string of matches with quite a few being very solid. This run unfortunately ended in controversy as we all know but CM Punk wasn't done. He returned to the WWE a decision which I myself was unsure of but has continued to put on solid performances up until his recent match against Roman Reigns which I personally thought was a brilliant performance and cemented to me that CM Punk is timeless. No matter which era you choose you could find a great CM Punk match, a great CM Punk promo, or a moment/segment of CM Punk's that you can sit back and feel something with. That is the mark of a great pro-wrestler something that all time legends like Bryan Danielson, Terry Funk, Kenta Kobashi, etc. excelled at themselves. You may hate him or you may love him but CM Punk is undeniable."

[9.0] "The nickname is almost not a lie. CM Punk is certainly one of the best in the world. He isn't THE best in the world, as his backstage controversy has caused a division mostly in his fanbase. But his promo work, wrestling skills, and general longevity certainly make him one of a kind."

[7.0] "He is undeniably great as a pro wrestler and one of the most impactful of this century. To me the biggest testament and his magnum opus would remain his pipebomb not only because it legitimately encompasses so much of what Punk is as a performer in my eyes and what he is in the eyes of his loudest fans and harshest critics. The fact that a big chunk of people especially when it originally happened believed it to be real is so impressive and a testament of him as a performer. I guess your opinion on him would also heavily be impacted by what directly appeals to one about pro wrestling, some people love the work shoot element of it while many genuinely find a connection with the "irl" person and root for them in an almost parasocial manner and ofc the very americanised, promo centric approach as well all. To me those are the elements I can appreciate and find a lot of enjoyment out of sometimes with the right performer or situation, but primarily I value expression in the ring and in that field I think Punk is pretty solid in ring with his ROH work and the Cena feud being his best work imo."

[7.0] "Never saw Punk at his prime so I can only rate what I have seen. Great run in AEW outside of his bizarre meltdowns. WWE return has been pretty horrid like 99% of the product over the last few years outside the great final match with Drew. His character has lost all creditability and really should be a heel if they want it to make sense. Tough to rate."

[8.0] "While I cannot stand the man called Phil Brooks, I will admit as CM Punk he has been a strong performer, however the 8 rating goes to the years before he left and not what he does now. Back then, he was putting on great matches and had some entertaining feuds, always was fire on the mic even if at times he took it too far and thought too highly of himself which made him come across as too smug, arrogant and cocky for my liking. I don't care for his work now, too washed up and injury prone in my opinion, plus his real life arrogance being even worse (it was always there but it's cranked up to 11 now)"

[10.0] "Punk will always be one of the most polarizing wrestlers in pro wrestling history, and that's never going to change. Many like him, many hate him. Something that's hard to deny is that he's one of the best talkers of the modern era if not ever. His run from 2011-2013 and the first year of his AEW run has been some of the best stuff I've ever seen in wrestling. When he's motivated, his feuds are must watch. Is he athletic? No. But that doesn't prevent him from being good in the ring. His matches are great because he's able to tell the story in the ring very well, which many wrestlers these days simply cannot do. 2025 was a down year for him. It had it's highs but also a bunch of lows. So far 2026 has been a really good year for him and I hope it continues."

[8.0] "I like CM Punk, really do, wasn't a huge fan of wrestling during his height of popularity, but still, someone who I appreciate as a good wrestler overall. My main gripe is him in the modern day, where he essentially sold out. I was okay with his AEW stuff, didn't appreciate how he tried to jump Tony Khan & Jungle Jack Perry, but alas, I have to give him his dues. Seeing all the stuff he's doing rn at WWE makes me appreciate older Punk less, but overall, good wreslter, shame that he has a past of trouble in the locker room."

[10.0] "Cm punk is one of the very top wrestlers of this generation has a catalog of great matches and moments. He has had many great title reigns and has carried the company especially in 2011"

[9.0] "His run from 2011 to early 2014 was generational, nobody doubts that he is one of the best on the mic and I also think he is fairly underrated in ring."

[10.0] "CM Punk. wybitny mic skill, ringowo przyjemny do ogladania. zdecydowanie jeden z topowych wrestlerow w historii."